5 Quick Things #389 🕯️🕯️

St. Nicholas, dried orange slices, whimsical paper scenes, & a boar’s head

Dec 05, 2025

Hi there,

Happy St. Nicholas Eve! Without fail, every single year I forget it’s his feast day until the morning of, so perhaps by my writing about him now I’ll better remember to make sure the boys’ shoes are out by the front door tonight. At their age, it’s just as easy to hand them some chocolate on their way to work or what-not, but still... the mom in me wants us to do this tradition for as long as possible. I’m just proud of me for having already bought chocolate coins—usually the stores are all out by the time I remember and we have to settle for some other shape ...of what is ultimately the same chocolate.

This weekend in our town it’s the annual Stroll on the Square, which means we’re flooded with visitors from nearby Austin and the surrounding area. It begins with a hokey-but-charming Christmas parade through our neighborhood, complete with high school marching bands and floats from local organizations, such as the senior citizens’ drill team ladies doing their acrobatic routines with lawn chairs (and with the finale of Santa on horseback, of course); the rest of the weekend the Square is chock-full of booths from farmers, artisans, and other local businesses. There’s live music, various children’s recitals, and one whole block becomes ancient Bethlehem. A few years ago there was even an ice skating rink made of wax, which went as successfully as it sounds.

Small town life for the win! …I’ll never live in a big city again if I can help it.

*Saint Nicholas Resuscitating Three Youths*, by Bicci di Lorenzo (1433–35) #

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. New episode of A Drink With a Friend! In this one I’m chatting with my friend Shawn Smucker, an author who co-owns an independent bookshop in his town with his wife. He shares with me a classic, perennial favorite childhood book, as well as one of his go-tos from adulthood. It’s always a treat to talk with him.
2. Whenever it’s the week of St. Nicholas Day, the St. Nicholas Center’s website tends to remain open as a tab on my computer. They’ve got a good history of the real Bishop of Myra, a collection of art new and old, customs from around the world, recipes, and more. It’s a treasure trove!
3. Whatever Kristin Haakenson offers is always a gift, but I find her talent especially charming this time of year. Here, she shares with us a panoply of Advent illustrations to print, a calendar, playlist, poem, and more.
4. Yesterday I dried some sliced oranges, which I try to do every couple years (I leave them strung as garland indoors on our windows year-long). This is my go-to basic method, but it’s so simple it’s barely a recipe. The main trick is to pick a day you know you’ll be home for a long stretch of time for getting it done.
5. And finally, here’s the explanation of the medieval Christmas tradition of a boar’s head you were looking for …Meaning, an actual boar’s head. (This is one of my favorite YouTube channels.)

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📻

My Advent in the Background playlist

My 2025 Gift Guide 🎁

I’ve heard from several of y’all that you appreciate my gift guide this year—I’m always glad to hear this, because it’s a genuine holiday highlight of mine to curate each season! Another highlight: taking a peek behind the curtain and seeing what y’all are ordering. Here’s the top ten from this past week:

Japanese apron
Spy ink pen
Swedish climbing wall
Theotokos tee (it’s basically sold out now, but Chris still has other great shirts & stickers)
Exceptionally Bad Dad Jokes
“I saw that” Jesus sticker
Customized name necklace
Montessori busy board
Wooden slingshot & felted wool balls
Waxed canvas work apron (it’s sold out, but here’s a similar one)

Go to the 2025 Gift Guide 🎁

Quotable 💬

“Advent is the spiritual season of hope par excellence, and in this season the whole Church is called to be hope, for itself and for the world.”

- Pope Benedict XVI

What’s your favorite type of game? 🎲

Sometimes, when I ask my youngest for a poll question idea, he gives me something like “What’s your favorite 80’s power ballad?” And then sometimes, he actually gives me a good question like this past week. This is actually a tough one for me—since like with most polls my answer depends on the day, right now I suppose my answer is puzzle game. Still a fan of my daily ‘erdles.

Puzzle game (i.e., crossword, Wordle): 26.6%
Board game (i.e., chess, Scrabble): 26.1%
Card game (i.e., Spades): 24.5%
Trivia game (i.e., trivia night at a bar): 11.1%
Party game (i.e., charades): 8.6%
Video game (i.e., Minecraft, Mario): 2%
Role-playing game (i.e., D&D): 1.1%1

Find next week’s poll here.

It’s Not Too Late to Begin Advent! ✨

Advent started last Sunday, but that doesn’t mean you’re too late to start a personal or family reading practice—in fact, its “open-and-go”ness is one of the highlights of my book, Shadow & Light. It’s rich and life-giving but mercifully short, and chock-full of music, art, and more.